50 Grant Morrison graphic novels you should read
Happy birthday to Grant Morrison, who turns 50 today. In celebration of a half-century of the acclaimed Scottish comic-book writer, here are 50 Grant Morrison graphic novels you should read.
1-2. All-Star Superman Volumes 1 and 2.
A new take on a classic; Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely take the things that made Superman charming in the Silver Age and blend them into a dazzling modern story.
3-9. The Invisibles (7 volumes)
A secret society called the Invisibles work against forces who aim to suppress humanity. “The Invisibles” was Morrison at his most ambitious and complex.
10. Batman: Arkham Asylum
A sales juggernaut when released in the Bat-frenzied era of of 1989, in “Arkham Asylum” the inmates take over the asylum on April Fools Day and demand Batman face them before they release their hostages. Drawn by Dave McKean, this is often considered among the very best Batman stories.
11.-16 JLA (6 volumes in softcover)
Morrison brought back DC’s biggest hitters to the Justice League of America and instantly made it a hit. Focusing on high-octane threats, this JLA is superhero adventure done right.
17-23. New X-Men (7 volumes in softcover)
Grant Morrison took the original concept of the X-Men and made it relevant: With a new evolution of humanity on the horizon, Charles Xavier’s school is for those mutants who are the harbinger of humanity’s next level.
24.-26. Animal Man (3 volumes)
B-list superhero Animal Man explored animal rights and the nature of fiction in three volumes from Morrison and artists including Chas Truog, Tom Grummett and Doug Hazlewood.
27-32. Doom Patrol (6 volumes)
Surrealistic superhero fiction that marked Morrison as a writer to watch in the U.S.
33. The Filth
Something of a companion piece to “The Invisibles,” The Filth features another secret organization and bizarre sci-fi tropes.
34-38. Zenith (5 volumes)
Impossible to find due to legal issues, but well-worth reading if you can find it. Zenith is a superpowered, self-centered pop star who fights evil reluctantly, at best.
39.-42. 52 (4 volumes)
Co-written with Mark Waid, Geoff Johns and Greg Rucka, “52″ followed up on “Infinite Crisis” and provided a superheroic tour of the DC Universe minus its big 3 – Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. It was an experimental form of storytelling at the time – a weekly continuity series with four writers, a layout artist and an assortment of finishers – that’s fascinating in its anything-goes nature.
43.-45. Seven Soldiers of Victory (3 volumes)
Morrison’s revamp of lesser-known DC heroes intermix across genres and settings.
46. We3
Three bioengineered pets just want to find their way home.
47. Kill Your Boyfriend
A black comedy filled with over-the-top teen rebellion.
48. The Mystery Play
A murder mystery about the death of God – or the actor playing him, perhaps.
49. Seaguy
Undersea adventure with an unusual twist, featuring a soft drink that comes to life.
50. Vimanarama
A young man nervous about an arranged marriage finds out a superpowered being desires his bride, as well.
Worth noting is Morrison’s “Flex Mentallo,” which due to legal issues hasn’t – and won’t – be reprinted, but is worth diving the back issue bins to find.
- Matt Price
DVD review – The Philanthropist: The Complete Series
The eight-episode series of “The Philanthropist” comes to DVD, but is it worth the donation?
Inspired by the real-life philanthropic work of Bobby Sager, “The Philanthropist” stars James Purefoy (“Rome”) as Teddy Rist, billionaire bad boy who decides he must do more with his life.
Rist is dealing with grief and guilt from the death of his son, and when he sees a child in Nigeria after the effects of a hurricane, he decides he’s going to use his money and power to help the boy and others like him. Throughout the series, he traipses off to new locations, aiming to provide hands-on philanthropy to those in need.
The cast is well-known: James L. Martin and Neve Campbell as Rist’s associates; Michael Kenneth Williams (“The Wire”) as Rist’s right-hand man; and Krista Allen (“Days of Our Lives”) as Rist’s ex-wife.
The show had a complicated genesis; it was originally developed by Tom Fontana (“Homicide: Life on the Street”), who was replaced by David Eick (“Battlestar Galactica”) who was then replaced by Fontana.
It’s beautifully shot, and Purefoy is well-cast as the good guy who isn’t always so pure of heart. The show has its share of dopey moments, but the feel-good premise and the talented cast push their way through them.
Despite the flaws and a lack of special features on the DVD, the short-lived series is worth a look, especially for Purefoy fans.
— Matthew Price
Auction house to appraise comics, coins, more
Do you think you have undiscovered treasure? Dallas-based Heritage Auctions could help you find out.
Heritage Auctions, the world’s third-largest auction house, will hold an appraisal event from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at The Marriott Waterford, 6300 Waterford Blvd.
Experts across a variety of categories, including coins, comic books, art and more, will examine up to three items for a verbal appraisal.
For more information, go online to www.HA.com.
Apple introduces iPad
The Associated Press reports Apple has unveiled its tablet-style computer, the iPad, today in San Francisco.
Ars Technica is live-blogging the event. The Street also has a live-blog going. The Street is reporting the iPad looks very good for web browsing and HD movies. Of course, we’ll hear much much more on this – including possible impact on comics – in the days to come.
Engadget has a hands-on report with video. Seems like the general impression there is, neat but not a home run. No multitasking, no Flash, no camera.
- Matt Price
Marvel to launch a Heroic Age
As DC is turning toward the light in Brightest Day, it looks like Marvel is also predicting a shinier, happier future. In a press release today, the company announced “The Heroic Age,” featuring a brighter Marvel Universe, would kick off with the relaunch of Avengers in May 2010.
“As our heroes emerge from the darkness, the Marvel Universe is going to be a more optimistic place than we’ve seen in a quite awhile. But that doesn’t mean we’re making things easy for our characters!” Marvel editor in chief Joe Quesada said in the news release.
- Matt Price
Click past the cut for the full release.
Watch Rafer draw
If you’re a fan of the quirky and unsettling “Plastic Farm” comic book series, you might enjoy seeing creator Rafer Roberts draw. At the moment, you can watch Rafer draw live on UStream.
- Matt Price
NewsOK Comics Podcast: Joe the Barbarian 1, Dark Wolverine 82, Starman 81
Matt Price and Kyle Roberts discuss Joe the Barbarian 1, Dark Wolverine 82 and Starman 81.
Monday movie quote challenge #63
“No, venti is twenty. Large is large. In fact, tall is large and grande is Spanish for large. Venti is the only one that doesn’t mean large. It’s also the only one that’s Italian. Congratulations, you’re stupid in three languages.”
Identify who said the above quote in what film in the comments!
ComicsPRO announces nominees for award
DVD review: Surrogates
Bruce Willis stars as FBI agent Tom Greer in “Surrogates,” based on the graphic novel by Robert Venditti and Brett Weldele. In an alternate reality, robots have been developed that stand in for people in their everyday lives. People project their consciousness into these mechanical doppelgangers, which keep them safe from the dangers of the outside world. A small subset of humanity has rejected the use of the surrogates and lives in gated, humans-only communities. They are led by the Prophet (Ving Rhames), who decries the use of the surrogate technology.
Greer is called in to investigate the first murder in years, in which someone kills a surrogate operator via a weapon used on the surrogate. That’s not supposed to be able to happen — and it becomes an even bigger surprise when Greer discovers the murdered man is the son of the inventor of surrogates (James Cromwell).
It’s an interesting premise, but Jonathan Mostow (“Terminator 3”) doesn’t take a lot of time exploring how this world is different from our own; instead it becomes a slam-bang action flick. It’s not even entirely clear that it’s supposed to be an alternate reality without watching the audio commentary. Viewers may wonder how humanity has all these high-tech robot duplicates, but no advancements have been made in vehicles or cell phones.
Mostow has created a visually compelling film, with wide-angle shots and lots of right angles. He’s also made Hollywood actors appear even more perfect, and slightly unsettling, as robot duplicates of themselves. While the film, like “The Matrix” and others before it, has a point about overdependence on technology, it doesn’t give the audience much time to ponder.
— Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
